HistoryCAT -- General Thread, Part Three, With Voting!

We're up to voting for how the HistoryCAT should divide up the time frames. There are five options. I'll list all the options, as well as bold the differences between the choices and then list them for voting. Voting will close on October 10th. Only YES votes will count.

Option One.

BC to 1
1 to 500
500 to 1000
1000 to 1200
1200 to 1400
1400 to 1500
1500 to 1600
1600 to 1700
1700 to 1800
1800 to 1900
1900 to 1945
1945 to 1990

Option Two

BC to 0
0 to 500
500 to 1000
1000 to 1300
1300 to 1400
1400 to 1500
1500 to 1600
1600 to 1700
1700 to 1800
1800 to 1900
1900 to 1945
1945 to 1990

Option Three

BC to 1
1 to 350
350 to 700
700 to 1000
1000 to 1300
1300 to 1500
1500 to 1600
1600 to 1700
1700 to 1800
1800 to 1900
1900 to 1945
1945 to 1990

Option Four

BC to 1
1 to 400
400 to 800
800 to 1000
1000 to 1200
1200 to 1400
1400 to 1600
1600 to 1700
1700 to 1800
1800 to 1900
1900 to 1945
1945 to 1990

Option Five

BC to 1
1 to 500
500 to 1000
1000 to 1300
1300 to 1500
1500 to 1600
1600 to 1700
1700 to 1800
1800 to 1850
1850 to 1900
1900 to 1945
1945 to 1990

The themes that were chosen for the HistoryCAT are:

Culture & the Arts
Crimes & Mysteries
Equality & Human Rights
Exploration & Conquest
Immigration & Migration
Myths & Legends
Lifestyles of Ordinary People (Social History)
Plagues & Disasters
Medicine & Disease
Science & Technology
Religion
War & Peace

While the majority of the time frames are not yet determined, we do have three that are already agreed upon. They are:

BCE - 1 CE
1900 - 1945
1945 - 1990

We can go ahead and discuss which themes might best fit these time frames. Does anyone have suggestions?

I think a lot of people were saying War & Peace for the 1900-1945 time period, due to both World Wars being in that period. I think that's a good idea.

Personally, I'd like to match 1945-1990 with Equality and Human Rights. It's the time period where women gained more rights. Black people fought for equal rights in the US and South Africa. Communism could be said to be about equality and human rights as well (failed equality, suppression of basic human rights).

For BCE - 1 CE, I think I'd go with Exploration & Conquest, as there was a lot of conquest in those periods, but also exploration if you're thinking early humans. It would fit with a lot of cultures and events that fall within that time period.

The time frame/theme I feel most strongly about is 1900-1950: War & Peace. That half-century is pretty much defined by two world wars (WWI & WWII), and two periods of peace (The Edwardian Era and the Interwar years.) Owing to the centenary of WWI, I suspect that many readers have or are interested in a number of titles set during this time period.

I was thinking about "Myths & Legends" for BCE-1CE owing to the Pantheon of Gods available in the Ancient Greek tradition, creation ideologies, etc; and "Lifestyles of Ordinary People (Social History)" for 1945-1990 (for apparently no good reason now that I'm sitting down to write a justification!); but I'm very open on these two counts :-)

I like War & Peace for 1900-1945, and I think Myths & Legends is a good one for the BCE period. I think I'd prefer to see Exploration & Conquest coincide with the Age of Exploration - say the 16th or 17th C.

Oh, and I agree that Equality & Human Rights would be an appropriate theme for 1945-1990. Either that or Science & Technology. (But S&T might also fit well during the 19th C)

While Myths and Legends would be a good choice for the BCE period when I look at non-fiction (plenty of myths to read about), I'm more hesitant when I look at the fiction side. I do recall we talked about what Legends meant - but I can't remember if a legendary person was acceptabel. For instance, would reading about Alexander the Great, a legendary person even in his own era, count for Myths & Legends? Would Cleopatra count? Because if the answer is yes, I'm in favor of Myths and Legends for BCE.

If those options do not fit the theme, can someone who's in favor of Myths & Legends give some suggestions for fiction books that would fit the theme? Just so I can get an idea of what Myths & Legends would entail in that era. Because when I hear Myths & Legends, my mind goes to Robin Hood and King Arthur, not to the BCE era :D.

I would think that most of Mary Renault would count. Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote The Fall of Atlantis or is that too legendary?

I would look for more, but when I click on tags I seem to get a page that says '3'.

Tim to the rescue. Another MZB, The Firebrand deals with Troy.

Lavinia is the founding of Rome.

Not everything in the various tag mashes of the mythology tags with fiction is suitable, but the lists are long.

There are lots of novels based on the Trojan war: The Song of Achilles, Song of Troy, The Penelopiad, Black Ships, etc. (here's a tagmash). Or if you want to go in a completely different direction, a lot of the most famous Greek tragedies would also qualify.

I personally would be less inclined to read about a well-documented historical figure in the myths and legends category, but you can always interpret it however you want. And you don't even have to follow the theme within the time period, of course.

I forgot about Troy. My Greek teacher would be appaled :D. (As an aside, why oh why would the Light Bearer come up in a Trojan War, fiction tagmash? I own the book, but as far as I know it's about Roman invasion in the North....)

>11 Samantha_kathy: Some books that would qualify for myths & legends in BCE period:

Odyssey
Iliad
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Weight by Jeanette Winterson
Ilium and Olympos by Dan Simmons might also work with the SFFFCat
The Song of Troy by Colleen McCullough
The Songs of the Kings by Barry Unsworth
Kerry Greenwood has written a Delphic Women trilogy

I am definitely in favor of having War and Peace for the 1900-1945 period. This is the strongest preference I have for any time period.

I'm also in favor of Myths and Legends for the BC period.

My suggestions:

BC to 1 Myths & Legends
1 to 500 Religion
500 to 1000 Lifestyles of Ordinary People (Social History)
1000 to 1300 Crimes & Mysteries
1300 to 1500 Plagues & Disasters
1500 to 1600 Exploration & Conquest
1600 to 1700 Equality & Human Rights
1700 to 1800 Medicine & Disease
1800 to 1850 Culture & the Arts
1850 to 1900 Immigration & Migration
1900 to 1945 War & Peace
1945 to 1990 Science & Technology

Honestly, an argument can be made for any of the themes fitting any of the time periods. And it is quite possible to cover all the themes in just one time period. So I'm very curious how this is going to play out.

I go along with War and Peace for 1900-1945, Myths and Legends for BC and 1, and Equality & Human Rights for 1946-1990.

Agree with the majority so far about these two:
1900-1945 War and Peace
BC to 1 Myths and Legends

I really don't have an opinion on the five time-frame voting options, so I doubt that I'll vote. I'm happy with however that part goes. Looking forward, though, to voting on the assigning of themes.

I have the following suggestion and I put some ideas for my reasoning in brackets, but I am totally flexible to change, as I agree with HRO, any theme will fit pretty much any time period.

BC to 1: Myths & Legends (Greek Myths, Celtic Legends)

1 to 500: Religion (Rise of Christianity)

500 to 1000: Conquest & Exploration (Vikings, Moors, Byzantine Empire)

1000 to 1300: Lifestyles

1300 to 1500: Plagues & Disaster (Black Death in Europe)

1500 to 1600: Culture and the Arts (Renaissance - Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci)

1600 to 1700: Immigration & Migration (New World Colonies - Jamestown, Roanoke, the Mayflower, British East India Company & Dutch East India Company open the far east)

1700 to 1800: Medicine & Disease

1800 to 1850: Science & Technology

1850 to 1900: Crime & Mysteries

1900 to 1945: War & Peace (WW I & WW II)

1945 to 1990: Civil Rights & Equality (United Nations formed, Apartheid in South Africa, Segregation and Race Riots in America, Martin Luther King, Civil Rights Act Passed in U.S.)

ETA: I used Option 5 for the time frame as it seems to be ahead at this time.

>22 DeltaQueen50: I like that layout!

Me too.

Very workable.

>22 DeltaQueen50: I think that is a very good layout.

very logical!

>8 Samantha_kathy: I think a lot of people were saying War & Peace for the 1900-1945 time period, due to both World Wars being in that period. I think that's a good idea.

I definitely agree with this. War & Peace for 1900-1945.

>9 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I was thinking about "Myths & Legends" for BCE-1CE owing to the Pantheon of Gods available in the Ancient Greek tradition, creation ideologies, etc

I, too, was thinking Myths & Legends for this time frame.

>10 sjmccreary: I think I'd prefer to see Exploration & Conquest coincide with the Age of Exploration - say the 16th or 17th C.

Agreed!

>11 Samantha_kathy: I do recall we talked about what Legends meant - but I can't remember if a legendary person was acceptabel. For instance, would reading about Alexander the Great, a legendary person even in his own era, count for Myths & Legends? Would Cleopatra count?

I think they should count. They are legends...

>11 Samantha_kathy: If those options do not fit the theme, can someone who's in favor of Myths & Legends give some suggestions for fiction books that would fit the theme?

And fictional options that would fit the them otherwise... Off the top of my head, I am enjoying Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. I'm sure there are lots of other fictional accounts based on Greek and Roman mythology that I just don't know about. :-)

>22 DeltaQueen50: 1850 to 1900: Crime & Mysteries

This, in addition to War and Peace for the early 20th century, is the one other one I feel strongly about. :-)

>22 DeltaQueen50: In fact, I might be happy with this entire configuration. :-)

So I guess I'm the only one who thinks science and tech should be 1900 to 1945, huh. Einstein loses another round. Sigh.

What about moving the social history theme up to later than 1600? First person accounts and even novels set earlier than that are usually focused on prominent people because they were the only ones who could write. After 1600, there are plenty of choices. Maybe switch with Medicine and Diseases, so we can all have a cheerful month reading about the Black Death?

Other than that, the list looks fantastic and I'm mentally going through my shelves to see what I have that will fit both theme and time frame.

32 > I don't really consider Rick Riordan's books historical fiction, since they're set in modern times. And they definitely wouldn't count as a focus read, which is what I'm aiming for.

Agree with RidgewayGirl about the social history slot. It seems like there would be more available reading for that theme if it showed up later in the rotation. My problem, though, is that I like where DQ has slotted all the rest. Just thinking aloud with my fingers here. Looking at some wikipedia entries, I've added a few notes to DeltaQueen's list (her notes on the first line under the dates; mine 2nd). What about switching it with crime/mysteries 1850-1900?

1 to 500:
......Religion (Rise of Christianity)
......agree
500 to 1000:
......Conquest & Exploration (Vikings, Moors, Byzantine Empire)
......crime/mysteries - lots of whodunits set in this timeframe*
1000 to 1300:
......Lifestyles
......crime/mysteries - lots of whodunits set in this timeframe*
1300 to 1500:
......Plagues & Disaster
......conquest & exploration would also fit nicely here (age of discovery), but plagues doesn't fit quite as well any where else
1500 to 1600:
......Culture and the Arts (Renaissance - Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci)
......agree
1600 to 1700:
......Immigration & Migration (New World Colonies - Jamestown, Roanoke, the Mayflower, British East India Company & Dutch East India Company open the far east)
1700 to 1800:
......Medicine & Disease
......other fits: science/technology (industrial revolution), migration/immigration (according to wikipedia)
1800 to 1850:
......Science & Technology
1850 to 1900:
......Crime & Mysteries
......other fits: migration/immigration, maybe-lifestyles?
1900 to 1945:
......War & Peace (WW I & WW II
......agree
1945 to 1990:
......Civil Rights & Equality (United Nations formed, Apartheid in South Africa, Segregation and Race Riots in America, Martin Luther King, Civil Rights Act Passed in U.S.)
......agree

* Historical mysteries on wikipedia.

Plagues & disasters easily fits in multiple time periods other than medieval for the Black Death. For plague, there's the influenza epidemic of 1918, the yellow fever epidemic of 1793, the cholera epidemics of the 19th century. For disasters, there's the Great Fire of London in 1666, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.

Also, to make this challenge challenging, maybe some of the themes should be paired with not-so-obvious time periods. Just a thought.

I brought up the question about "what counts as a legend" a few weeks ago and we never reached a group consensus about the answer.

What I originally said...

"Out of curiosity, how are we defining "legends"?

The dictionary definition is "a traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated." (Like, King Arthur and Robin Hood.)

But the dictionary definition for legendary is quite different - "remarkable enough to be famous; very well known." (Such as the Tudor Dynasty and Cleopatra.)"

Someone pointed out that "legend" and "legendary" are two different words and said that "legendary" wouldn't count.

Someone else said that if a person is documented as real (authenticated) but very little known is about them, it would count.

So, what are we doing with the "legends" category?

Is it:

people that are thought to be real but whose lives have not been authenticated

people who were real but whose lives have not been well documented

people who were real and who are legendary for their accomplishments

some combination of the above

something else entirely

?

40 > That is what I am getting stuck on as well. Because, okay, the Myths part is pretty specific. Greek, Egyptian, Roman myths could all fit. Maybe there's some others there too in other parts of the world. And there are books that deal with it (fiction and non-fiction). But the legends part?

When I think of legends and historical fiction, I think of people like Robin Hood or King Arthur - either not real at all or real, but whose lives have not been authenticated. I also think about Cleopatra, Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan, real, (well-)documented people who are legendary both in their own day as well as in ours.

One definition of legend that I like is this one (from wikipedia):

"A legend (Latin, legenda, "things to be read") is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. Legend, for its active and passive participants includes no happenings that are outside the realm of "possibility", is defined by a highly flexible set of parameters which may include miracles that are perceived as actually having happened, within the specific tradition of indoctrination where the legend arises, and within which it may be transformed over time, in order to keep it fresh and vital, and realistic. Many legends operate within the realm of uncertainty, never being entirely believed by the participants, but also never being resolutely doubted."

Within that framework, people that are thought to be real but whose lives have not been authenticated would definitely work. People who were real but whose lives have not been well documented would also work, because any story told would still be in the realm of uncertainty.

Legends that would fit in the BCE-1 time period would then include:

Atlantis
Celtic legends (although that can also be called mythology)
Fountain of Youth (writing about this start as early as the 5th century BC)
Trojan War
African Legends
Founding of Rome
Odysseus

I would also think these would fit the legend criteria of "never being entirely believed by the participants, but also never being resolutely doubted" and are a part of the BCE-1 period:

(The building of) Stonehenge
Creation legends
Native American legends (for instance, skinwalkers)
Biblical stories (depending on how literal you take these stories in your belief)

>40 Her_Royal_Orangeness:

I would say all three definitions would count.

I really like some of the changes suggested to the time frame and have played around with it and come up with the following:

BC to 1 Myths & Legends (Greek Myths, Celtic Legends)

1 to 500Religion (Rise of Christianity)

500 to 1000 Conquest & Exploration (Vikings, Moors, Byzantine Empire)

1000 to 1300 Crime & Mysteries (Mysteries by Ellis Peters,
Ariana Franklin, Sharan Newman and Sharon
Kay Penman)

1300 to 1500 Plagues & Disaster (Black Death in Europe)

1500 to 1600 Culture and the Arts (Renaissance - Michelangelo,
Leonardo Da Vinci)

1600 to 1700 Immigration & Migration (New World Colonies -
Jamestown, Roanoke, Mayflower,
British East India Company &
Dutch East India Company open the
far east)

1700 to 1800 Science & Technology (Isaac Newton, Benjamin
Franklin, Joseph Banks (Biology &
Botany), Capt. James Cook & other
world explorers - geography & map
making

1800 to 1850 Social History (Lifestyles)

1850 to 1900 Medicine & Disease (Cholera outbreaks, Florence
Nightingale - Crimean War, Doctoring & Nursing in
American Civil War, London sewer system
developed as a way to curb disease, Louis Pasteur)

1900 to 1945 War & Peace (WW I & WW II)

1945 to 1990 Civil Rights & Equality (United Nations formed,
Apartheid in South Africa, Segregation and Race
Riots in America, Martin Luther King, Civil Rights
Act Passed in U.S.

What does everyone think of this?

Would Biblical stories, like Song of Abraham or The Red Tent, count for the Religion theme? If that's the case, I like the time period + themes suggested by DeltaQueen in 43.

Otherwise, I would rather switch Religion and Plagues & Disaster. There's plenty of disasters in 1-500 (think of Vesuvius erupting, for instance), and Religion was really big in the Middle Ages, with the Crusades being smack dab in the 1000-1300 period.

Personally, I think Biblical stories would definitey count for Religion.

Just to clarify in my own mind, are we going chronologically for the months?

Yes, that was the outcome of the vote, if I recall correctly.

Yes, time frames will run chronologically. And I'm thankful for that as pairing themes while choosing which months get which time frames would be, well, challenging.

Remember that time frames and themes don't need to go together.

>43 DeltaQueen50: I like your suggestions.

As far as what counts as "legends" or "religion" or any of the other themes, I believe that we can afford to be loose in our definitions. I think it is better to be more inclusive than restrictive. I think each individual reader ought to be the final authority on their own choices. But, I think it would be sporting of them to explain their rationale if it isn't an obvious choice. For example, anything I've seen so far as an example of "legend" and "legendary" would count. Some stories are about real people (Cleopatra), some are about fictional people (Zeus), some might be based on a real person but are highly fictionalized (Robin Hood). Some real people and their real feats are so amazing, that they should also count (Alexander the Great, Ghengis Khan). And if someone had a story about someone so narcissistic that they were/are truly a legend in their own minds, I would accept that as well - with a smile!

I like that definition, Sandy.

I started reading a recent biography of Cleopatra this year, and eventually gave up:

"I found that I just wasn't interested enough to keep reading. I understand the problems involved, but most of it was assumptions based on 'it must/might have been so because ... ' The details generally had nothing to do with her, but pulled in from somewhere for a wow! effect.

It might be an easier read in the original. I was trying to read the German translation."

We sometimes overestimate how much is known about these early figures. What we really know about them is quite limited, and most of what we think we know is what has accumulated around that name over the past centuries. i.e. legend.

I would like to suggest one change to DeltaQueen's time frame/theme match-up. I'd like to switch Medicine and Disease from 1850-1900 to 1700-1800, and have Science and Technology in 1850-1900 instead of 1700-1800. The 19th century had such an upsurge in science and technology, I'd really like one of the time periods in the 19th century to be Science and Technology. Medicine and Disease is very at home in the 18th century, when a lot of medical discoveries were made and modern medicine was just beginning.

I've bolded the changes and gave some descriptions/ideas for the themes in brackets like DeltaQueen did.

BC to 1 Myths & Legends (Greek Myths, Celtic Legends)

1 to 500Religion (Rise of Christianity)

500 to 1000 Conquest & Exploration (Vikings, Moors, Byzantine Empire)

1000 to 1300 Crime & Mysteries (Mysteries by Ellis Peters,
Ariana Franklin, Sharan Newman and Sharon
Kay Penman)

1300 to 1500 Plagues & Disaster (Black Death in Europe)

1500 to 1600 Culture and the Arts (Renaissance - Michelangelo,
Leonardo Da Vinci)

1600 to 1700 Immigration & Migration (New World Colonies -
Jamestown, Roanoke, Mayflower,
British East India Company &
Dutch East India Company open the
far east)

1700 to 1800 Medicine & Disease (Great Plague of Marseille, Plague Riots in Moscow, Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia doctors & nursing in the American Revolutionary War and many other conflicts during this century, medical education in Europe on the rise, origin of the science of modern pathology, discovery/invention of the stetoscope, vaccination, opening of hospitals for specific purposes, public health and hygiene came to attention)

1800 to 1850 Social History (Lifestyles)

1850 to 1900 Science & Technology (the second half of the 19th century is known as the Technological Revolution, the 19th century is also the era of science, many discoveries in the field of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, electricity, and metallurgy were made during this time period; Bessamer process discovered, first oil refinery, first phonograph, first gramophone record, transatlantic telegraph, dynamite and light bulb invented, just to name a few things)

1900 to 1945 War & Peace (WW I & WW II)

1945 to 1990 Civil Rights & Equality (United Nations formed,
Apartheid in South Africa, Segregation and Race
Riots in America, Martin Luther King, Civil Rights
Act Passed in U.S.

I read a great book called Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World set in the late 19th century - agree with >>53 Samantha_kathy: 's switch of Science and Technology.

>53 Samantha_kathy:

That would be an excellent time period for science and technology!

Looks good to me to Samantha, I wasn't thrilled with where Science and Technology ended up in my last try and yours seems a better fit.

With three days to go in the voting, it's looking like a landslide victory for Option Five.

And it looks like it's going to be easier to match themes to time frames than I had thought. Should we do block votes, like above with the time frames, or vote on each time frame/theme pairing?

I would prefer block votes; we already have several possibilities listed, and people are free to suggest others before we vote.

I'd prefer block votes too.

Playing devil's advocate: the problem with block votes is that I might like part of one suggestion and a different part of another. How about if we work on the easy pairs first? For example, War & Peace seems to be overwhelming popular for the 1900-1945 time frame. Myths and legends has strong support for BCE. Maybe there are a few others. Once we agree on the 4 or 5 that are easy/obvious, we could do block voting for the remaining matches.

I think Sandy makes a good point. There are some that aren't as vocal as the rest of us and may prefer to simply show their choice by their votes. I agree that we could start with the ones that seem to be an easy choice with a simple yes/no vote, and then carry on from there.

I've been pretty quiet through this phase, but just wanted to say that I'm willing to just vote on block votes. I think that we'll still come up with something workable for most people that way and it seems a lot simpler.

Quick vote ending when the previous vote does, on October 10th.

So, our time frames will look like this:

January: BC to 1
February: 1 to 500
March: 500 to 1000
April: 1000 to 1300
May: 1300 to 1500
June: 1500 to 1600
July: 1600 to 1700
August: 1700 to 1800
September: 1800 to 1850
October: 1850 to 1900
November: 1900 to 1945
December: 1945 to 1990

So, would a few people show how they'd like to add in the themes and once we have a few suggestions, we'll vote on each set as a block. Let's go! We're almost finished!

>65 RidgewayGirl: We're almost finished! -- Hooray!

We already have 4 suggestions for the time period/theme matching which have been spelled out:

#18 LoisB without explanation

# 22 DeltaQueen with explanations

#43 DeltaQueen revised with explanations

#53 Samantha_Kathy with explanations

Does anybody have any others to suggest?

RidgewayGirl: I think that it would be helpful to either include the explanations in the ballot or to list all the suggestions with explanations in a message as you did with the vote for the time periods and then list separate votes for them.

Of course, some people may still have suggestions for
time period/topics matchups.

I think my suggestions are very close to Delta Queen's, so I am willing to withdraw mine from the voting.

>68 LoisB: Lois are you sure you want to withdraw your proposal? I can easily add yours to this message.

So everyone can easily see the proposed time period/topic matchups I am copying them here. I have highlighted the differences which often seems to be the same four topics: Crime & Mysteries, Lifestyles of Ordinary People, Medicine & Disease, Science & Technology. Hope this helps everyone to compare.

Option 1

January: BC to 1 Myths & Legends
February: 1 to 500 Religion
March: 500 to 1000 Exploration & Conquest
April: 1000 to 1300 Lifestyles of Ordinary People
May: 1300 to 1500 Plagues & Disasters
June: 1500 to 1600 Culture & the Arts
July: 1600 to 1700 Immigration & Migration
August: 1700 to 1800 Medicine & Disease
September: 1800 to 1850 Science and Technology
October: 1850 to 1900 Crime & Mysteries
November: 1900 to 1945 War & Peace
December: 1945 to 1990 Civil Rights & Equality

Option 2

January: BC to 1 Myths & Legends
February: 1 to 500 Religion
March: 500 to 1000 Exploration & Conquest
April: 1000 to 1300 Crime & Mysteries
May: 1300 to 1500 Plagues & Disasters
June: 1500 to 1600 Culture & The Arts
July: 1600 to 1700 Immigration & Migration
August: 1700 to 1800 Science & Technology
September: 1800 to 1850 Lifestyles of Ordinary People
October: 1850 to 1900 Medicine & Disease
November: 1900 to 1945 War & Peace
December: 1945 to 1990 Civil Rights & Equality

Option 3

January: BC to 1 Myths & Legends
February: 1 to 500 Religion
March: 500 to 1000 Exploration & Conquest
April: 1000 to 1300 Crime & Mysteries
May: 1300 to 1500 Plagues & Disasters
June: 1500 to 1600 Culture & the Arts
July: 1600 to 1700 Immigration & Migration
August: 1700 to 1800 Medicine & Disease
September: 1800 to 1850 Lifestyles of Ordinary People
October: 1850 to 1900 Science & Technology
November: 1900 to 1945 War & Peace
December: 1945 to 1990 Civil Rights & Equality

Option 4

January: BC to 1 Myths & Legends
February: 1 to 500 Religion
March: 500 to 1000 Lifestyles of Ordinary People
April: 1000 to 1300 Crimes & Mysteries
May: 1300 to 1500 Plagues and Disasters
June: 1500 to 1600 Exploration & Conquest
July: 1600 to 1700 Equality & Human Rights
August: 1700 to 1800 Medicine & Disease
September: 1800 to 1850 Culture & the Arts
October: 1850 to 1900 Immigration & Migration
November: 1900 to 1945 War & Peace
December: 1945 to 1990 Science & Technology

If anyone has another proposal please add it to the thread.

ETA: I have added the time period/topic matchup that Lois gave us in >18 LoisB: it is added as Option 4

>69 DeltaQueen50: OK - leave mine in. Thanks!

When will voting begin? How much time is left to suggest another option?

I'll put the voting up on Tuesday, including the four options in >69 DeltaQueen50: and any further arrangements listed below. If you'd like to see a slightly different arrangement, then suggest it; we all like lots of choices.

>72 RidgewayGirl: Thank you for all the organisation! I'm abstaining this time because I really have no preference. They all look great to me.

I'll take a stab at it:

January: BC to 1 - Myths & Legends
February: 1 to 500 - Crime & Mysteries (Roman empire)
March: 500 to 1000 - Religion (spread of Christianity in west & Buddhism in east + rise of Islam)
April: 1000 to 1300 - Immigration & Migration (crusades, Marco Polo to China)
May: 1300 to 1500 - Plagues & Disasters
June: 1500 to 1600- Culture & the Arts
July: 1600 to 1700 - Exploration & Conquest (European explorers + establishment of colonies in new world)
August: 1700 to 1800 - Medicine & Disease
September: 1800 to 1850 - Lifestyles of Ordinary People
October: 1850 to 1900 - Science & Technology
November: 1900 to 1945 - War & Peace
December: 1945 to 1990 - Civil Rights & Equality

For the following votes, please refer to >69 DeltaQueen50: for options one, two, three and four. Option five is found at >74 sjmccreary:. I'll leave it to you to decide whether to vote for just one or as many as you would be happy with. Only YES votes count.

Voting is open until the 20th. Shall we discuss the choices we like and the ones we don't?

The more I look at these choices, the more I like Option 4. When I first thought about pairing time periods and themes, I was considering how to get the best pairs for the types of books I like to read. For example, I originally wanted crime/mystery to go with the 19th century, because I tend to read a lot of mysteries set in the 19th century. But now I think it's better to have a theme I really like paired with a time period I really don't, and vice versa. That way I'll be more likely to find something to read for each month, because it'll fit either the time period OR the theme.

So I like Option 4 because it has ordinary people and crimes/mysteries for 500-1000 and 1000-1300...since I don't have much on my TBR list for those time periods, I can just read the themes instead! Obviously this is all very subjective, but my strategy is just to maximize my own participation in the CAT. :)

On the contrary, I think that option 4 (which was actually the first option presented in message 18 on Oct. 3rd without explanation) is the weakest at matching themes with time periods. Both Lifestyles of Ordinary People (Social history) and Equality and Human Rights are much too early, and Culture and the Arts would be better during the Renaissance. Some kind of crossing of the Atlantic (either Immigration and Migration or Exploration and Conquest should come during the 17th century (1600-1700) unless we want to highlight the colonization of Latin America. This is just showing a few of the less than ideal placements.

I prefer either option 3 or 2 for the matching of events and periods.

I think I might sprain a muscle trying to find books that cover both the era and the topic. My goal will be to find something to fit one or the other and if it fit both it would be a happy coincidence. Therefore I will be happy with whichever layout is settled upon.

>83 mamzel: - That's pretty much my approach. I'm going with one or the other and if I happen to have something that works for both then that will just be an added bonus!

I'm thinking of trying to read both each month, but whether that ends up being one or two books doesn't really matter.

I've kind of lost interest in the whole thing. It's just too complicated for my wee brain. I might participate for obvious stuff or I might not participate at all. I hope those who are gung-ho on this enjoy it tremendously though

>86 majkia: I admit I've experienced a bit of discussion & voting fatigue during this latest round; so I've dialed back a little in participation for now. When the final votes are in though, I'll arm myself with the list and hit the stacks! :-)

I still like option 1. Mostly because I like Crime and Mystery in the late 19th century. :-) That and one we all agreed on were the two pairings I really wanted to see.

At least it made my decision easy on which to vote for.

I don't have a strong preference and haven't voted yet, but I actually think this is a sign that the process has worked well: I'll be happy with any of the options.

I'm pretty excited to see which option will win. Only a few more days to go before I can go and pick the books I want to read for this challenge :D

I'll be happy with however it shakes out, but clearly Options two and three are the best choices!

I'll be looking for books that fit both, if I can find something that looks exciting. Otherwise, it'll be one or the other.

I'll be looking for books that fit both, if I can find something that looks exciting. Otherwise, it'll be one or the other.

I'm planning the same thing. I'd love to do a focus read each month, but I am limiting myself to books that are on my TBR stack or TBR list - no new books! So if I can't find a book that fits both theme and time period it will have to be one or the other. But let's hope an option wins where I can find a focus read for each month ;)

Like Samantha, I am looking forward to finding out which set-up will be the one so I can start matching up books. I am hoping that I can find books that will match both the topic and the time period among my massive piles of TBRs and library lists. Even though I proposed Options 1 & 2, I voted for Option 3 as I believe I will be able to find books for these topics fairly easily.

I voted for 5 because I like Exploration & Conquest best in that 1600-1700 slot. Frankly, though, they're all good; I'd be happy with any of them.

When I suggested #5, my primary objective was to move Religion away from the 1--500 time period. Yes, that was the rise of Christianity, but I thought the 500--1000 period would have many more interesting stories as Christianity spreads into the whole of Europe, displacing the traditional beliefs. Meanwhile, in the East, Buddhism spreads throughout eastern Asia. Plus, this is the period when Islam first rises, leading to the inevitable conflicts with Christianity. Conflict always makes a more interesting story!

I forget--is there a wiki set up yet for this CAT? It's okay if not, just wanted to bookmark it if there was.

not that I know of. I'll put one together once everything is set, if that's what folks want.

Option three is our clear choice, although I think that we're mainly happy to have made all the decisions and to now be ready to gather volunteers and take a look at our own shelves to see what we might be reading next year.

Here's the lineup:

January: BC to 1 Myths & Legends -- LittleTaiko

February: 1 to 500 Religion -- Kristelh

March: 500 to 1000 Exploration & Conquest

April: 1000 to 1300 Crime & Mysteries -- LibraryCin

May: 1300 to 1500 Plagues & Disasters -- klarusu

June: 1500 to 1600 Culture & the Arts -- Tanya-dogearedcopy

July: 1600 to 1700 Immigration & Migration -- cbl_tn

August: 1700 to 1800 Medicine & Disease -- RidgewayGirl

September: 1800 to 1850 Lifestyles of Ordinary People -- DeltaQueen50

October: 1850 to 1900 Science & Technology

November: 1900 to 1945 War & Peace -- sallylou61

December: 1945 to 1990 Civil Rights & Equality -- sjmccreary

It's time to sign up to host a month. Please tell us which month you'd like to host, which means you'd open a thread on or after the fifteenth of the previous month, giving some information about the time period and theme, hopefully with a few reading suggestions. It's first come, first served, so if you're interested in hosting a specific month, go ahead and grab it. I'll add names to this list here as people volunteer.

>98 RidgewayGirl: Thanks for sorting it all out. I'm looking forward to planning now!

Here's a first shot at a wiki for the HistoryCAT:

Let me know if there is some way to make it clearer?

http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/2015_HistoryCAT#2015_HistoryCAT

Looks good to me, majkia. Thanks for putting it together.

>100 majkia: Thank you!

*cheers* Love the fact that we can now pick books. I've pretty much got things down.

I'll be reading a book Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell for the Myths and Legends month, as how it came to be is a mystery for the ages and every tale is legend - might have beens without ever being able to be proven.

For the Religion month I've got The White Mare by Jules Watson that (from what the blurb says) has druids and druidic faith as a fairly important part of the story, and the main character is a high priestess.

Then I'm going with The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell for a look at Vikings and their Conquest of England, the aftermath of that and a possible rebellion from those they subdued.

The Good Knight by Sarah Woodbury will give me a medieval Mystery to read.

Then, A Vision of Light by Judith Merkle Riley will have me visiting the Plague that's the Black Death.

A Secret Life by CJ Archer will take me to 16th century England, to playwrights and the theater world.

Then, I'll be Immigrating with The Puritans by Jack Cavanaugh due to religious persecution.

With The Midwife of the Blue Ridge by Christine Blevins, I'll be confronted with 18th century Medicine (which will probably have me very glad to live in this day and age).

From 1800-1850, I've got a bit of problem defining what's Ordinary People. Does the Strauss family count? Because then I could read De Strauß-dynastie by Peter Prange, about the famous Johan Strauss and his relatives. Is that too un-ordinary? Because I could always go with the military in books like Kydd by Julian Stockwin or Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian.

Then, in the later half of the 19th century, I'm seeing the Science and Technology of that time with The Technologists by Matthew Pearl.

The difference between War and Peace then becomes crystal clear with either The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean, Enigma by Robert Harris, or The Key to Rebecca by Ken Follett.

And last, but certainly not least, I'll be learning about Civil Rights and Equality from The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

So really, only the Lifestyles of Ordinary People is still a bit of a problem. Strauss-family, famous but worked their way up. Ordinary enough or not?

I can join you in four or five reads, Samantha. Good ideas all!

I am volunteering to lead the War and Peace theme, the 1900-1945 period in November.

If someone else really wants that period, my second choice is for the Immigration and Migration theme, during the seventeenth century, 1600-1700, in July.

I've got you down, Allison.

I'll be away for a few days, and I'm not sure what internet connection we'll have. If there's nothing, I'll put everyone's names in the proper places in >98 RidgewayGirl: when I get back.

Well, I really wanted Crime and Mystery to be in the late 19th century, but alas, it was not to be.

Please put me down to be in charge of that month, anyway (Crime and Mystery):
April: 1000 to 1300 Crime & Mysteries

I will need to do some research, as I have no idea what crimes/mysteries took place then, but hopefully something interesting will come up.

Name of the Rose set in 1327. Bummer.

I'd like to kick things off with the Myroths & Legends if nobody else wants it.

Cadfael?

>107 LibraryCin: I've enjoyed Ellis Peter's Cadfael mystery series, which is set in this time period. With respect to real-life crime and punishment, there are the famous murder of Thomas Beckett and the Medieval Inquisition. There are also some non-crime mysteries that come to mind: the mystery of where Vinland is located and all the legends surrounding the Knights Templar. I agree that it's easier to think of ideas for Crime and Mystery in later time periods, but it will be fun doing the research for this pairing. :)

So I can schedule my biography of Thomas for April. Good. Thomas Becket : warrior, priest, rebel : a 900 year old story retold

Also A new history of early Christianity for January and
The rebellious life of Mrs. Rosa Parks for December.

That's three TBRs without working at it.

Knights Templar?

Oops. Missed that mathgirl40 beat me to it.

Arianna Franklin's fabulous and unfortunately too short series would fit as well.

I would like to host the September HistoryCat for Lifestyles of Ordinary Peoples - 1800 - 1850.

Thank you for the suggestions! I think I'll start keeping a list at home...

115, DeltaQueen > Since you'll be hosting the Lifestyles of Ordinary Peoples, will you be posting some guidelines as to what constitutes originary people (in fiction, especially), either in the challenge thread when you post it or maybe even here? It's really the only topic I'm still struggling to wrap my brain around. I keep asking myself 'what's ordinary enough to count as ordinary?'

My list of potential reads for this CAT. My preference is mostly historical fiction, but I may go back and add in some nonfiction to round out my choices. I’ll likely only read one book per month, but these are the titles that appeal to me and which I also have access to.

January: BC to 1/Myths & Legends
Hittite Warrior by Joanne Williamson, 1200bc
Stonehenge, Cornwell, 2000BC
The Odyssey
The Iliad

February: 1 to 500 / Religion (1st century through 5th century)
The Silver Chalice by Thomas B. Costain, 1st c
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare, 1st c
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart, 5thc

March: 500 to 1000 / Exploration & Conquest (6th through 10th centuries)
The Sea Road by Margaret Elphinstone,10thc
The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson, 10thc

April: 1000 to 1300 / Crime & Mysteries (11th through 13th centuries)
One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters, 12th c
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse, 13thc
Sunrise in the West by Edith Pargeter (The Brothers of Gwynedd), 13thc

May: 1300 to 1500 / Plagues & Disasters (14th & 15th centuries)
A Plague on Both Your Houses by Susanna Gregory, 14thc
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, 14thc
Katherine by Anya Seton, 14thc

June: 1500 to 1600 / Culture & the Arts (16th century)
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk, 1590s
Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King, 1510s

July: 1600 to 1700 / Immigration & Migration (17th century)
City of Dreams: A Novel of Nieuw Amsterdam and Early Manhattan by Beverly Swerling, 1600s
Bride of New France by Suzanne Desrochers, 1663-1673
Out of Many Waters by Jacqueline Dembar Greene, 1654
Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America by David Hackett Fischer,1600s

August: 1700 to 1800 / Medicine & Disease (18th century)
The Royal Physician's Visit by Per Olov Enquist, 1760s
The Remedy by Michelle Lovric, 1780s

September: 1800 to 1850 / Lifestyles of Ordinary People (domestic fiction) (early 19th century)
The Absentee by Maria Edgeworth, 1810s
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, 1810s
Marriage by Susan Ferrier, 1810s
Something by Jane Austen – 1810s-1820s
Not Yet Drown'd by Peg Kingman, 1820s
Sin Killer by Larry McMurtry, 1830s
The Ballad of Frankie Silver by Sharyn McCrumb, 1830s
Helen by Maria Edgeworth, 1830s
Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell, 1840s
The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich, 1847
Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather, 1848

October: 1850 to 1900 / Science & Technology (late 19th century)
The Waterworks by E. L. Doctorow, 1870
Two Moons by Thomas Mallon, 1870s
The Anatomy of Deception by Lawrence Goldstone, 1880s-90s
The Alienist by Caleb Carr, 1890s
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson, 1890s (already read but highly recommended for this spot)

November: 1900 to 1945 / War & Peace (early 20th century)
(Need to finish sorting this one through.)

December: 1945 to 1990 / Civil Rights & Equality (late 20th century)
The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew, 1950s
Cancer Ward by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, 1955
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, 1960s
Lay Down My Sword and Shield by James Lee Burke, 1960s
We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg, 1960s
Black Water Rising by Attica Locke, 1981
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson, 1915-1990s

Edited to remove Outlander.

>117 Samantha_kathy: Samantha, I have been looking at this topic and the years it covers and have come up with the following so far -

Some of the historical highlights of the years 1800 - 1850 were:

- Louisiana Purchase -1803 Beginings of Western Expansion in the U.S.
- African Cape Colony becomes part of the British Empire - 1806
- The Regency Period in England 1811- 1820
- Australian Penal Colony - early 1800's
- Napoleonic Wars 1803 - 1815
- The City of Singapore is established by the British East India Company in 1819
- Battle of the Alamo in Texas - 1836
- Queen Victoria takes British throne - 1837 - Start of the Victorian age
- New Zealand claimed by the British - 1840
- Start of the California Gold Rush - 1849

These are just a few of the highlights, but from these events the following books would certainly fit the criteria, as they are set in and around these times yet are about fictional or, in the case of non-fiction books, not particularly famous people.

Non-Fiction

- An Elegant Madness: High Society in Regency England by Venetia Murray
- Empire of Necessity: Slavery, Freedom and Deception in the New World by Greg Grandin
- Sugar Creek: Life on the Illinois Prairie by John Mack Faragher
- In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick
- Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West by Hampton Sides**

Fiction

- Regency Novels by Georgette Heyer or other authors
- The Secret River by Kate Grenville
- The Big Sky by A.B. Guthrie
- The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman
- Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier **
- A Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly - set in 1830's New Orleans - plus others in the series
- Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer - set in early days of Napoleonic Wars - plus others in the series

** These books feature people that ultimately became famous, but at the time of the book's setting, they were not well known.

This is just a small sampling of books that I think would fit. I think any book that someone believes fits this topic and/or time period is pretty much up to their own choosing.

Hope this helps.

ETA: Plus all the books mentioned in >118 countrylife: for the time period.

Well, after much deliberating, I've decided that for the Lifestyles of Ordinary People, I will read Kydd by Julian Stockwin. The book about the Strauss-family does have father Strauss work his way up from amateur violinist to well-known artist, but from the blurb I gather a lot of the book will be set when his two sons are vying for attention and by then the family's already famous. Master and Commander might be suitable, but I think the main characters are already in pretty high ranks when the book starts. Kydd, on the other hand, begins all the way at the bottom by being press-ganged into service So it fits better I think.

And with that decision, I've got my books all picked out for this CAT! They're evenly split between TBR books I already own and TBR books from my wishlist which are all available in my library. So I'm pretty happy with it.

118, countrylife > Just as a heads-up, while Outlander is an awesome, awesome book, it's pretty light on the medicine and disease despite one of the main characters being a nurse. I recall one medicine/disease scene near the end of the book, and a diagnostic-like conversation earlier on, but that's about it. Might be something to consider if you want to match theme/time periods.

I think there is more medicine in the later books of the series, but it is not the medicine of that period. I recall her experimenting with penicillin.

>118 countrylife: Thanks for your list. I may be following along with you on some of those reads.

Thanks for the heads-up about Outlander, Samantha_kathy. I just used the tag-masher to find books, so wasn't aware of how much of the book was medicine related.

eta: Good point, MarthaJeanne. I want to read the subject in keeping with the time period.

I've updated the list in >98 RidgewayGirl:. There are still plenty of free spaces.

I'll volunteer for July 1600-1700 Immigration & Migration.

I've penciled in books for next year's challenge. It will be interesting to see how many of these I end up reading and how many different books make their way onto the TBR list during the year.

January: BC to 1 Myths & Legends
Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (audio)

February: 1 to 500 Religion
The Confessions of St. Augustine - I've read excerpts but not the whole thing

March: 500 to 1000 Exploration & Conquest
Brendan by Frederick Buechner

April: 1000 to 1300 Crime & Mysteries
Murder in the Cathedral by T. S. Eliot
The Quest for Becket’s Bones by John R. Butler

May: 1300 to 1500 Plagues & Disasters
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

June: 1500 to 1600 Culture & the Arts
The World of Christopher Marlowe by David Riggs
Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
Michelangelo & the Pope’s Ceiling by Ross King
Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Vanora Bennett

July: 1600 to 1700 Immigration & Migration
Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick

August: 1700 to 1800 Medicine & Disease
An American Plague by Jim Murphy
A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, based on her diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

September: 1800 to 1850 Lifestyles of Ordinary People
The Reshaping of Everyday Life: 1790-1840 by Jack Larkin
The Jane Austen Handbook by Margaret Sullivan
Jane Austen’s Guide to Good Manners by Josephine Ross, Henrietta Webb
Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels by Dierdre Le Faye

October: 1850 to 1900 Science & Technology
The Railway Viaduct by Edward Marston

November: 1900 to 1945 War & Peace
Sergeant York: An American Hero by David D. Lee
America's Great War: World War I and the American Experience by Robert H. Zieger

December: 1945 to 1990 Civil Rights & Equality
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip M. Hoose (audio)
The Strange Career of Jim Crow by C. Vann Woodward

>126 cbl_tn: That's exactly why I am afraid to commit to too many books so soon, Carrie, once I pencil them in, there's a good chance I will lose interest in reading them.

>127 DeltaQueen50: I'm not worried about losing interest in them since I read from lists all the time. I may end up reading something that will also fit the RandomCAT, which we won't know about too far in advance, or for a group read or some other reason.

Has the wiki been set up yet? I spent some time this evening picking out my 2015 HistoryCAT books and placing them on hold at the library so they'll be ready for me at the right times. I think I matched the time periods together with the themes for the focus - at least for most months. Here is my list of planned reads:

January - BCE - myths and legends - Aeneid by Virgil

February - 1-500 - religion - Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz

March - 500-1000 - exploration & conquest - Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton

April - 1000-1300 - crime & mysteries - Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin

May - 1300-1500 - plagues and disasters - A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman

June - 1500-1600 culture & arts - My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

July - 1600-1700 - immigration & migration - Oroonoko by Aphra Behn

August - 1700-1800 - medicine & disease - A Midwife's Tale by Laurel Ulrich

September - 1800-1850 - ordinary people - At Home by Bill Bryson

October - 1850-1900 - technology & science - Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

November - 1900-1945 - war & peace - The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

December - 1945-1990 - civil rights & equality - Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Sandy, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is a fantastic book.

Half of the months in >98 RidgewayGirl: have been claimed. Take a look at the poor orphans left and see if one of those looks like something you'd be interested in adopting.

#129 by @sjmccreary> Yes.

http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/2015_HistoryCAT#2015_HistoryCAT

>129 sjmccreary: I really liked My Name Is Red when I read it a few years ago. And I may join you with A Distant Mirror. I had overlooked it as a possibility even though it's on my library wishlist.

>130 RidgewayGirl: I'll take Civil Rights & Equality/1945-1990 in December.

>131 majkia: Thanks - I couldn't find the link last night

>132 cbl_tn: I'd skimmed the other lists as they had been posted but went back and read them more closely this morning. I was pleased to discover that I'd chosen some books that others had also picked out. I hope you will decide to do A Distant Mirror together with me. I'm not sure what prompted me to pick it up at a book sale a couple of years ago, but I've been reluctant to get it down off the shelf ever since.

There are some great books on some of these lists. To whoever listed The Long Ships by Frans Bengtsson - excellent choice! I loved it when I read it last year and envy you if you're reading it for the first time.

Quick question about the wiki: I understand why time periods and themes are separated, but how should we list books that fit into both?

list them in both, maybe? unless you have a better idea.

No, I don't have a better idea. I was just unsure what the expectation was - how everyone else was approaching it.

Maybe put a star or something to note that the book also matches the other criterion?

Did I miss something? I thought that each month had a time period and that the focus was optional, but would only count if it also fit the time period.

You can read the time period or the focus or both...

>138 LoisB: My impression was that this was conceived as an either/or option. Read a book that fits either the time period or the focus, with the bonus being combining the two.

I'd like to host "June: 1500 to 1600 Culture & the Arts." :-)

No, both count.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/180264#4842931 and following. I couldn't find a vote, but there was certainly a concensuss.

Eaters of the Dead is a creepy good story. I watched the movie, The 13th Warrior, starring Antonio Banderas and thought it looked so familiar until I finally realized it was taken from this book. Have fun reading it with Antonio's face in your head!

>143 mamzel: There are certainly worse faces to see while reading!

re: wiki lists, how about we list books in the time period if they fit there, and note those that also fit in the theme. Those that fit the theme but not the time period can just be listed under the theme. The only books listed by theme would be those that do not fit into that month's time period. My original question came from a concern that any shared reads should be listed together. Or list the books that fit both the time period and the theme in both places, but I'm not fond of that idea.

Why wouldn't we place a book that fits both theme and time period under both headers? Those that are looking for themed books can more easily find them under theme than if they also have to look under the time period and find the ones marked for the theme.

On another note, do we only record books that we have read if we've read them in the correct month for either theme or time period? Because if I read a book that fits time period BC, which is on the theme War and Peace, I could place it under both and those who want to read War and Peace but not the associated time period when that theme comes up can pick it up then. Or if I read a religion book during that theme that's set in the 17th century, I can also note it under 17th century and someone who wants to read that time period when that month comes up can see the book and get inspired to pick it up.

What I'm basically asking here is if we're going to use the wiki as a record of books we've read in a particular month, as a resource base, or something in between, where we note books we've read under both the time period and theme they fit, whether or not both are that particular month's time period and theme? Because if we're just recording read books, we might be better off with with a wiki that lists months and the books under it have a note if they fit time, theme or both for that month. If we want to do what I described in the previous paragraph, so the wiki can serve as a resource for months still to come as well, instead of just a 'read this' list, it's more logical to have the time period and themes seperate.

I sincerely hope I made sense here. It's hard to explain what I mean, but I hope you guys understand.

>145 Samantha_kathy: I think I understand it. You're suggesting a single list for each month where all books would be listed, indicating whether they fit the time, the theme, or both? I think I would find a single list for each month easier to navigate.

Very good points. The only reason I said I didn't like the idea of listing a book under both the time period and the theme was to avoid entering it twice. I was thinking of twice in the same month. The situation you describe didn't occur to me. I don't have an answer to offer to your question.

146, cbl_tn > Yes, that's a suggestion. A single list for each month would be easier to navigate. We could just put it alphabetical by book title. And shared reads would be easy to see that way.

If we aren't going to have separate lists, I think we need some sort of code to indicate what list(s) the book is for.
Obvious would be Ti and Th.

If we are going to have separate lists, then I think we need three, and not two. Two codes would be enough, though.

Actually, I like the idea of having 3 separate lists, with each book just listed under one of them. For example, for any month we could have a section for both time period and theme, a section for time period only, and a section for theme only. In the section for theme only, people who want to read the theme during a different month could list their books under the theme for the month listed and indicate which month they read it.
For example, if someone read a book about the Civil War during the 1850-1900 period, that person would list the book under the time period 1850-1900 and also under the War and Peace theme in the 1900-1945 time period and indicate the month they read it.

>134 sjmccreary: I don't do my planning this far ahead, but I'm thinking I would probably list them in both.

I'll be happy to change the wiki when we all decide how we want it.

>150 sallylou61: Actually, I like the idea of having 3 separate lists, with each book just listed under one of them. For example, for any month we could have a section for both time period and theme, a section for time period only, and a section for theme only.

Actually, in reading the rest of the conversation, this also came into my head. This might be the best way to go. It gets my "vote", anyway.

>150 sallylou61: The only argument I'd make against this suggestion is that, like the time periods, themes are set for specific months. In your example, I could read about the American Civil War (1860-1865) in October for 1850-1900 time period. OR I could read about the American Civil War in November for War & Peace theme. But if I read about 1850-1900 in October, it couldn't also count for the War & Peace theme in November. Could it?

I think it makes sense to have three separate lists for each month: time period only, theme only, and both. I'm less convinced that it's worth recording all the books that we read in other months. I think everyone probably has some topics or time periods that they read a lot of (mysteries, or regencies, or whatever), and if people listed every mystery that they read throughout the year under the mystery theme, that would end up overwhelming the books that were actually read in the scheduled month. Unless I'm completely misunderstanding the suggestion, which is certainly possible.

I have been thinking more about #150. I still suggest going with three sections of the list. However, I do NOT think that one should read a theme for a different month and have it count. For example, if one read a book about the Civil War during the Civil War month (1850-1900), it would count as being during the time period only since the theme for that period is NOT war and peace. Or, one could read about the Civil War during the 1900-1945 month and have it count for the War and Peace theme only.

For any book to count, it should be either for the time period or the theme or both for that month.

I think I was reacting to message #145 when I suggested listing the book under the theme for the "incorrect" month. I was not suggesting that it be counted as reading for that month.

I would suggest that we keep the wiki for the books we read during the appropriate months. However, it would be enormously helpful if people who happen to read a book that fits at an earlier time then mention the title in the thread for that month. Does that sound reasonable?

I like the idea of three lists for each month, so that we don't have to post twice.

I'd like not having to post twice.

Is the thought with 3 lists that we would only post our reads on one of the three? If I read a book that fits both the time period and the theme, I would only need to post it on the theme & time period list and not to each separate list as well?

Re 159: Yes, that is my suggestion.

I changed the wiki to show what that would look like for January. Is that what everyone is thinking?

http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/2015_HistoryCAT#2015_HistoryCAT

>160 sallylou61: >161 majkia: That works for me.

Yes, that looks good.

>161 majkia: I like it!

I don't know how I'll ever choose which books to read. There are way too many that sound good :/

I am having a difficult time because sometimes there are books and subjects in the time period that I really want to read that doesn't fit the themes, but still having fun researching.

>164 _Zoe_: This whole CAT is a book grenade. (Like a BB, but with whole heck of a lot more shrapnel. And casualties)

The books I plan to read for this challenge:

Myths & Legends - The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo (19th century)
Religion - Glittering Images by Susan Howatch (1930s)
Exploration & Conquest - When Nights Were Cold by Susanna Jones (19th century)
Crime & Mysteries - The Journal of Dora Damage by Belinda Starling (19th century)
Plagues & Disasters - All That Is Solid Melts Into Air by Darragh McKeon (1980s)
Culture & The Arts - Go Ask the River by Evelyn Eaton (9th century)
Immigration and Migration - A Good American by Alex George (1900-70)
Medicine & Disease - A Fierce Radiance by Lauren Belfer (WW2)
Lifestyles of Ordinary People - The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard (1930s)
Science & Technology - The Movement of Stars by Amy Brill (19th century)
War & Peace - Swedish Tango by Alyson Richman (1970s)
Civil Rights & Equality - Crooked Pieces by Sarah Grazebrook (1900s)

Only one of my books - The Movement of Stars - fits both theme and time.

I look forward to seeing what everyone else chooses. And I'm excited to start reading!

Ok, I updated the wiki to have three subheadings for each month. Given that, a few books will need to get moved down to the both category. I didn't touch anyone's books so please move them on your own, to make sure they are put in the right place.

I've got mine moved.

Just to clarify, is the the wiki only for books we actually are going to read? Or can it be used to list any book that would fit the particular time period or theme as a way to give people ideas?

>170 japaul22: It's my impression - based on how things have worked this year - is that the wiki is where books you actually plan to read are listed. Suggestions to share with others go in the discussion thread for that month.

Thanks, majkia, the wiki really looks nice.

I got my books entered on the wiki. It is very nicely arranged. Thanks!

>161 majkia: That's great! I've switched mine to the appropriate section. 3 lists works really well, thanks!

Silly question - in the wiki, after some of the books is a padlock instead of the icon denoting a link to the book's page. What is the significance?

>175 mamzel: great question! I wondered the same thing.

>175 mamzel: Me too!

Yup, I was also wondering about that.

>175 mamzel: I can never remember which is which, but if - when you are copying the url - you see "https" (s is for secure), that's when you'll see the padlock. The link still works, and I usually end up with it, but I can never remember where to go (it's happened on rare occasions!) to not have that appear!

I'm going to be trying to participate with my limited time history books. I am concentrating on the WWI era so I'm going to be going by theme.

March - exploration & conquest George, Nicholas and Wilhelm : three royal cousins and the road to World War I
April - crime & mysteries A mad catastrophe : the outbreak of World War I and the collapse of the Habsburg Empire
May - plagues and disasters - The million death quake : the science of predicting Earth's deadliest natural disaster
June - culture and the arts The historical atlas of World War I
September - ordinary people - 1912 : Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft & Debs-- the election that changed the country
The last of the doughboys : the forgotten generation and their forgotten world war
October - technology & science - Castles of steel
November - war & peace - Catastrophe 1914 : Europe goes to war
An illustrated history of the First World War

>179 LibraryCin: if you don't like it, just delete the s. That's what I did. But either way works fine.

>181 MarthaJeanne: Now, why did I never think of that!!!!? Thank you!

I like that a lot, Cheli. And now I have to rethink my own choices.

I'm planning on reading mostly books from my shelves for this challenge -- and might keep it at all non-fiction. January might be an exception. This will have a heavy emphasis on women

January -- Myths and Legends: Five Great Greek Tragedies (drama)
or
The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World if I receive it for my birthday in November or for Christmas

February -- Religion: Wisdom's daughters: Stories of Women Around Jesus
and/or
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

March -- Exploration and Conquest: Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson (theme only, 17th cent.)
and/or
Sisters of the Wind: Voices of Early Women Aviators (theme only, exploration of the air, 20th cent.)

April -- 1000 to 1300 -- Probably Four Queens which I did not get around to reading for the quarterly biography challenge this year
or
some much more recent murder for the theme

May -- Plagues and Disasters -- Down with the Old Canoe:a Cultural History of the Titanic Disaster (theme)
or another Titanic book
or
The Lady and the Unicorn for the time period (1300-1500)

June -- Culture and the Arts (theme only)
From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the movies
and/or
a book about an American artists such as Edward Hicks, Norman Rockwell, or
An American Vision: Three Generations of Wyeth Art

July -- 1600-1700 (theme and time period both)
A Land as God Made It: Jamestown and the Birth of America

August -- 1700-1800 (time period)Founding Mothers: the Women who Raised our Nation
and/or
Bring Out Your Dead: the Great Plague of Yellow Fever in Philadelphia in 1793 (both time period and theme -- in UVA Library collection)

September -- 1800-1850 -- Lifestyles of Ordinary People, interpreted as Social History
both time period and theme
The Road to Seneca Falls: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the First Woman's Rights Convention
and/or
Elizabeth Fry (an English Quaker active in prison reform in England)
and/or
Bound for Canaan: the Underground Railroad ...

October -- 1850-1900 time period only
Neither Ballots nor Bullets: Women Abolitionists and the Civil War
and/or
This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War
and/or
Civil War Women: American Women Shaped by Conflict -- collection of short stories

November -- 1900-1945 -- War and Peace -- both theme and time period
Behind the Lines: Gender and the Two World Wars
and/or
Women in the Resistance
and/or
Shoulder to Shoulder -- time period -- militant women's suffrage movement in Britain

December -- 1945-1990 -- Civil Rights and Equality -- both theme and time period
The Eyes of Willie McGee: a Tragedy of Race, Sex, and Secrets in the Jim Crow South
and/or
Ghosts of the Mississippi: the Murder of Medgar Evers ...
or
Leaving Birmingham
Either of the first two might be read theme, Crime & Mysteries in April

>179 LibraryCin: Thanks for the explanation. Makes total sense.

Could someone suggest where Pillars of the Earth might fall? It has the following tags:

12th century (215) 2008 (51) architecture (317) audiobook (66) Britain (41) British (47) cathedrals (495) church (55) ebook (55) England (520) epic (95) fiction (1,548) Great Britain (40) historical (363) historical fiction (1,437) historical novel (184) history (272) Ken Follett (58) Kindle (66) literature (60) medieval (390) Middle Ages (441) novel (202) own (89) read (171) religion (113) Roman (85) romance (59) to-read (325) unread

As far as I know, Pillars of the Earth is about building a cathedral, so it could go under Religion. It could also be Culture and the Arts. Personally, I'd put it under Culture and the Arts. But, I haven't read it yet (it's on my TBR stack), so I can't be 100% sure.

Pillars takes place during the 12th century.

It could also fit into the Ordinary People theme.

ETA - you could also argue that it would fit in the theme of Crime & Mysteries together with 1100-1300 time period. There is certainly enough crime in this book to qualify, along with the real-life murder of Thomas Becket.

>189 sjmccreary: ooh - I like C&M 1100-1300 idea! I'm off to change my plans.

Here's the list of months, topics and hosts. Take a look, make sure you're signed up where you want to be and if you'd like to volunteer to host a month, take a look and choose one of the months still available.

January: BC to 1 Myths & Legends -- LittleTaiko

February: 1 to 500 Religion

March: 500 to 1000 Exploration & Conquest

April: 1000 to 1300 Crime & Mysteries -- LibraryCin

May: 1300 to 1500 Plagues & Disasters

June: 1500 to 1600 Culture & the Arts -- Tanya-dogearedcopy

July: 1600 to 1700 Immigration & Migration -- cbl_tn

August: 1700 to 1800 Medicine & Disease -- RidgewayGirl

September: 1800 to 1850 Lifestyles of Ordinary People -- DeltaQueen50

October: 1850 to 1900 Science & Technology

November: 1900 to 1945 War & Peace -- sallylou61

December: 1945 to 1990 Civil Rights & Equality -- sjmccreary

I’ve “rethunk” my potential reading list for the 2015 CATs. I’m not a SFFF reader, but since that’s a CAT that won, I decided to at least plan for it, even if I don’t carry it through the year. So with HistoryCAT and SFFFCAT in mind, I created a matrix with the BingoDOG and all three sets of categories to find one book for each CAT to match with a DOG. These are the results for my two books per month in 2015.

January
History: BC to 1/Myths & Legends: Hittite Warrior, Joanne Williamson (1200 BC)
DOG: 23. Owned for more than 1 year

SF: Other Pasts -- historical SFFF: Native Star, MK Hobson
DOG: 24. By an LT Author

February
History: 1 to 500 / Religion: Bronze Bow, Elizabeth George Speare (1st c)
DOG: 12. Set in a country not your own

SF: Classics -- Written before 1980: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
DOG: 14. Animal is important

March
History: 500 to 1000 / Exploration & Conquest: Long Ships, Frans G. Bengtsson (10th c)
DOG: 25. Chosen by someone else (lauded by sjmccreary)

SF: Apocalyptic, Dystopic: Bone Clocks, David Mitchell
DOG: 3. Unfamiliar Topic

April
History: 1000 to 1300 / Crime & Mysteries: Labyrinth, Kate Moss (13th c)
DOG: 8. Major Historical Event (crusades)

SF: Fairy Tales and Myths: Mirror, Mirror Gregory Maguire
DOG: 15. Fairy tale/myth

May
History: 1300 to 1500 / Plagues & Disasters: A Plague on Both Your Houses, Susanna Gregory (14th c)
DOG: 7. Natural Disaster (black death)

SF: By or with strong Woman character: Native Tongue, Suzette Haden Elgin
DOG: 5. About Language

June
History: 1500 to 1600 / Culture & the Arts: Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling, Ross King (1500s)
DOG: 11. Protagonist of the opposite gender

SF: Time Travel & Alternative History: Lincoln's Dreams, Connie Willis
DOG: 17. Prophecy, signs, portents

July
History: 1600 to 1700 / Immigration & Migration: Witch Child, Celia Rees (17th c)
DOG: 9. Epistolary (diary)

SF: Non-Humans (Aliens to Dragons): His Majesty's Dragon, Naomi Novik
DOG: 16. Mythical creature

August
History: 1700 to 1800 / Medicine & Disease: The Royal Physician's Visit, Per Olov Enquist (1760s)
DOG: 1. Translated

SF: Other Worlds: The Watcher, Margaret Buffie
DOG: 20. Outside comfort zone

September
History: 1800 to 1850 / Lifestyles of Ordinary People: Longbourn, Jo Baker (Regency)
DOG: 19. Inspired by other fiction (Jane Austen)

SF: Slipstream, Interstitial (inc. Magic Realism, Genre Benders): Cobweb Bride, Vera Nazarian
DOG: 18. Genre bender

October
History: 1850 to 1900 / Science & Technology: Anatomy of Deception, Lawrence Goldstone (1880s-90s)
DOG: 6. Scientists (forensics)

SF: Supernatural, Paranormal, Inexplicable (Fantasy, Gothic): Whisper My Name, Jane Eagland
DOG: 10. LGBTQ main character

November
History: 1900 to 1945 / War & Peace: The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan (1910s)
DOG: 21. Published in 1915

SF: Heros, Superheroes, Puzzles and Epic Journeys: Incredible Journey, Sheila Every Burnford
DOG: 2. Reminds of Childhood

December
History: 1945 to 1990 / Civil Rights & Equality: We are All Welcome Here, Elizabeth Berg (1960s)
DOG: 22. Author same name as mother/grand

SF: Influential / Award Nominated/Winning: Speed of Dark, Elizabeth Moon (Nebula)
DOG: 4. Autism

>166 casvelyn:: Love that! "This whole CAT is a book grenade. (Like a BB, but with whole heck of a lot more shrapnel. And casualties)"

I've already adapted my plan for January. @PaulCranswick in the 75 Books group is planning a British Author challenge for 2015. One of the authors he's selected for January is Penelope Lively, and one of her books is In Search of a Homeland: The Story of the Aeneid, which fits very nicely with our January time period and theme. I've added that one to my January reading list.

>193 countrylife: Thanks!

>192 countrylife: Wow, Cindy, that's impressive! And for your "chosen by someone else" DOG, I'm happy that my praise for Long Ships has encouraged you to keep that book in your reading plan. I'll back up your claim that it was "chosen" by me - you know, just in case anyone challenges you on that. I just hope that you will enjoy the book as much as I did!

Thanks, Sandy. I considered having a CAT category of my own for "chosen by someone else", in which I'd have asked LT friends for suggestions, and then I'd just have used one of those for that DOG. But my theme worked out differently, so I ended up just needing the one book and I didn't want to put anyone out over just one.

I have been researching possible reads for this CAT. I am pretty excited but I struggle with matching themes and time frames. I find some really interesting books but then they don't fit the themes, etc. I am thinking of picking only one of themes and reading that through the whole year.

>198 Kristelh: if you do that, would you try to match your chosen theme with the time periods each month?

>199 sjmccreary:: yes, that would be my idea. I thought I might also try to address whether the monthly theme was a part of the book as well. It is just a thought at this point, rolling around in my head. So many books.........sigh.

>200 Kristelh: That sounds like a fascinating way to combine a particular interest of yours together with the HistoryCAT challenge. Good luck figuring out what to do!

>>198 Kristelh: You're doing 1 theme and I'm doing one time period.

I was initially planning to construct a reading list culled from the secondary literature cited in Mann's The Sources of Social Power. That was a bit too ambitious. Now I'm leaning towards the single theme approach. If the challenge started today I would pick "ordinary life" and read the five volumes of A History of Private Life through the year plus Courtesans and Fishcakes in the first month.

I'm excited about this challenge, though I may be getting in over my head--I tend to pick up history books and biographies, and get around to them far too rarely. So, I'm going to do my best to read from my tbr and stick to nonfiction. If I can find something that fits the time period, I'll use that first, and if not, then I'll find something to fit the theme since I'm confident something or another on my tbr will fit each theme. So far, this is my too-ambitious plan (considering these are mostly thick books, and I'm not known for reading much nonfiction...), minus months that are still up in the air:

January: T-Rex and the Crater of Doom (for time period, really, though I suppose the dinosaurs were conquered by the so-called crater of doom)

April: Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assissi (time period)

June: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 (time period AND theme!)

July: The Passionate Shpherdess: Aphra Behn, 1640-1689 (time period)

October: Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea (time period AND theme!)

I have so many choices for November and December that I'll choose those much later--there are too many choices, and I'm sure to change my mind! I'll add these to the wiki when I have a bit more energy, but for now, I thought I'd share them here in case they'd help others in the brainstorming stages!

Just for January, Time period BC to 1, theme Myths and Legends. I've found these
Aesop Fables
Siddhartha by Hesse probably doesn't fit the theme
Metamorphoses by Ovid if you're trying to stay with 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

Also others I am interested in; Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus by Atwood
The Road to Sardis by Stephanie Plowman, this does not fit the theme, covers Peloponnesian War.

Cleopatra a Life by Stacy Schiff, a biography, doesn't really fit the theme.

Others:
The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud, Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie, The Gifts of the Jews by Thomas Cahill, and Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Daniken.

>205 Kristelh: I'm planning to read Cleopatra: A Life in January and I think it does fit the "legends" part of the theme. So much of what we think we know about Cleopatra is legend, helped along by Shakespeare and Hollywood.

I read Cleopatra: A Life last year. I gave the audio 5 stars, and the book was very good, too.

>206 cbl_tn: I only got a short way into it. Could have been the translation, but what I most objected to was that it was all suppositions, with very little really about her.

>205 Kristelh: I would think that Siddhartha would fit the theme.

I'm reading the latest in The Egyptian Novels by Wilbur Smith, Desert God which takes place in Ancient Egypt. The first one, River God was the best, IMO.

>205 Kristelh: I hope the book version of Siddharta is better than the movie! It's the only movie I can remember walking out of.

The only movie I walked out of was Ransom, mostly because the people next to us had brought their elementary school children who were so freaked out, I had to leave. Guys, if you can't get a babysitter, you're stuck with G and PG movies. It's called parenting.

>210 LoisB:, the book is very short if it is awful, it won't be a long torture.

Maybe since several of you are going to read Cleopatra: A Life you might want to add it to the group read wiki. Maybe if others join in they'll be lead over to the CAT join in more.

February, May and October are still available for hosting. Take a look at >98 RidgewayGirl: and see if any of them appeal to you.

I simply do not feel that I could volunteer because
a) I do not know how to do all the fancy stuff that is done here; pictures, etc.
b) I do not know how to do a Wiki

I wish that I could have someone teach me this stuff but reading it on line doesn't help. I need someone to help me side by side while I am at my computer. You are all too techie for me. I am happy to participate at the level that I have been. Some of which was a learning curve too.

You need very little of the 'fancy stuff' to host a month. And someone is always willing to jump in and help, especially with the Wikis. Pictures are actually fairly easy. I cut and paste from here http://www.librarything.com/topic/177029 and then cut and paste my specifics in. (Do pay attention to the sizing please, as if the picture is too big it can create problems in some devices.)

I'm not volunteering because I'm already doing a month for RandomCAT and keeping BioKIT running, probably hosting a quarter there as well.

I'm certainly not a techie, so someone else would probably be a better bet, but if you need a handholder by PM, I could do that.

>215 Kristelh: I don't know how to do that stuff, either. My threads might not look as fancy as some of the others, but the books and conversation aren't affected by that. If this is the only thing stopping you, then you should go ahead and do it.

>215 Kristelh: I only learned how to add pictures last year. It's no problem to just skip the pretty stuff. And I've never touched the wiki beyond adding a book or two once I'd read it (and I'm not great at doing that either). Hosting a month just means opening a thread and putting some words about it in the first entry. People will add to it. But please don't feel pressured to take it on -- if no one volunteers, I'll throw up the thread and rely on everyone to add details. If hosting looks interesting to you, I say go for it because we are a group that really doesn't have a way we expect things to be done, we're just looking for fun reasons to talk about books. If you're just feeling like you should, please don't. Enjoy participating as much or as little as you want.

If it becomes necessary, I could host a month. But I would prefer not to, because I am hosting the January RandomCAT, the February SFFFCAT, the Cooking with KIT threads and the Reading Through Time Quarterly Reads.

Samantha_kathy, I think you're busy enough!

If anyone wants to host a month, there are still months available. Do not feel obliged. I'll set up the months that haven't been claimed and you will all be sorry! Joking, of course. All hosts do, however, rely on the willingness of every participant to mention interesting books that fit that month or to bring up interesting historical things that we might want to read about.

>220 RidgewayGirl: If Plagues & Disasters is still free, I'll throw my hat into the fray. If not, I'll take Science & Tech.

Plagues and disasters in yours in May, klarusu.

Great! I love me a bit of Plague & Disaster ;-)

>215 Kristelh: Kristel, I don't know how to do any of that, either, but I have now volunteered to host a month for all three CATs! I do hope to get some help with figuring it out when the time comes. :-)

>223 klarusu: Haha! I do, too! That would probably have been my second choice to host.

All right, I will take February. Religion. I will watch what January does and go from there, I will take February so I don't have to anguish over it very long. Someone can set up the Wiki for me.

I've added you to the list, Kristelh.

I've updated the wiki. http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/2015_HistoryCAT#2015_HistoryCAT

>224 LibraryCin: >226 Kristelh: I didn't want to commit to a month. I'm already doing a month for SFF and might propose a group read. However, I would be more than happy to give either of you (or anyone else) help and instruction on the technical stuff (adding images, setting up threads, updating the Wiki). Just send me a PM whenever you need help. :)

>229 mathgirl40: thanks, I added you to my contacts so I will be able to PM you.

>229 mathgirl40: Thank you so much! I think I'd better do like Kristel and add you, otherwise I'll forget who offered to help! :-)

I'm more than willing to help as well. I suspect there are a lot of us. :)

>232 majkia: Thank you! :-)